Solo Slow Travel: Best Option for Introverts

What is Slow Travel?

As the third wave of the pandemic starts to flatten here in France, I come across more and more articles about Solo Slow Travel.

Slow travel is a mindset that encourages travellers to take their time, savouring the experience of a place rather than rushing through a packed itinerary. It emphasizes connecting with local culture, engaging deeply with the environment, and embracing the journey as much as the destination. This approach often involves staying in one location for an extended period, reducing the stress of constant movement, and allowing for a more meaningful connection with people, customs, and the natural surroundings. The benefits of slow travel include fostering a deeper sense of relaxation, reducing travel fatigue, and promoting sustainability by minimizing frequent transportation and supporting local economies. Additionally, it allows travellers to cultivate mindfulness, making the experience more enriching and fulfilling.

#SavoirVivreVignette

slow travel

Solo Slow Travel in the Southwest of France

I have been asking myself what Solo Slow travel would mean for people who come to the south of France on a residential retreat. As I understand it, Slow Travel is the opposite of the Monday-Amsterdam, Tuesday-Paris, and Wednesday-Lisbon trips that were so popular in the past. The idea is that less is more and that quality is better than quantity. A Slow Travel trip is meant to educate and have an emotional impact, in the present moment and for the future, while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment.

Slow travel allows us to relax and reflect, to connect with and integrate our experiences.

It seems to me that Slow Travel to a retreat here in the southwest of France has to begin with the trip here, by making the trip part of the retreat experience by travelling slower, maybe by taking the train instead of taking the plane, by stopping on the way to investigate a famous city, like Bordeaux or Toulouse, by using travel time to educate oneself about this region and by talking to other travellers, etc.

At the moment, my Walking the Camino de Santiago retreats are the most popular, possibly because they represent the slow travel idea so perfectly:

  • walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela always has an emotional impact, no one who walks the Camino comes away unchanged.
  • Gascony, the region in France where the retreats are held is the perfect host for slow travel. To discover why, Click Here.
  • during the walk, there is ample time for interaction with other pilgrims and for supporting small local businesses on the way.
  • staying in one place during the whole retreat, you’ll get more of an opportunity to interact with local people in a meaningful way.
  • it’s not only healthier for the environment (my take on sustainable tourism,) it’s also healthier for you.

Slow travel is less stressful, which is the whole objective of going on a retreat, so take your time to travel here and make the most of each moment you are here, even if it is just relaxing in a deckchair while watching the sun go down with a glass of local Rosé, is not only of benefit to you but also to the local community.

As for myself, I have always preferred Slow Travel to rushing around and seeing as many different places in as short a time as possible. I am still, after 11 years of living in this part of France, slowly travelling through my glorious region. When I drive here, I stop frequently to admire the majestic Pyrennées mountain range, explore a small farmer’s market, or check on a friend who lives in the middle of nowhere, on the way to a favourite restaurant. Here you’ll find me discussing the menu for 15 minutes or longer with the chef, asking about his family and his business, and then indulging in a lunch that takes…as long as it takes. After the meal, I linger to watch the world go by…

Solo Slow Travel – I highly recommend it.

If you would like to read more about Slow Travel, here is the Slow Travel Guide Book

If you like this vignette of my life here in Gascony, you can escape to the south of France for a virtual visit by subscribing to my mailing list HERE.

All content of this website is copyrighted. You cannot copy the content of this page